I look at my son Justin and my son-in-law Adam and I see great dads. They are there for their kids. Their kids know they are loved and accepted by their dads. I love looking at pictures of them with their kids.

March 03, 2015

The words Dirty Bastard take on a new meaning with this beer from Founders

When I became of age, fancy beer-drinking was having a Shlitz in a frosted mug. Then there was the Miller's beer that came in a clear bottle.

My thirty-year-old son introduced me to craft beer this summer in St. Louis when his son was born and we stayed there a week. He took me to the Urban Chestnut beer hall where they served me their Schnickelfrtz and visited Schafly's not too far away. Later we made a return visit with my son-in-law. I really picked up on the difference in tastes.

My son and his family are coming this weekend and I'm stocking up with some Michigan craft beer. First choice is Founders Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale.

I'm not good as describing tastes, but it's has a personality and a flavor that speaks to me. He and I drank it when he and the fan visited over Thanksgiving.

What other Michigan craft beers should I stock up with before they come on Friday?

February 03, 2015

My son Justin is a hands on dad. Check out the look on both of their faces. They are close.

There seems to be a revolution going on right under our noses in cultural thinking about the role of dads. Ten years ago this new thinking about fathers surfaced and then it seemed to go away.

This past weekend, Superbowl ads by Toyota billboarded this new fatherhood movement that has been gathering steam around the country. The ads made dads look important and billboarded their role in the family and in the lives of their kids. The commercials were classy and not cheesy.

My son is tied into a group of young dads around the country who are there for their kids and for their wives. My son-in-law is the same way. One of my favorite pictures is one of him and his son who was still a toddler. In one hand, he held a basketball and in the other, he held his son's hand as they walked around a track.

There are many more examples from around the country, including dad's groups which are starting to supplant mom's groups.

I'm sure that Toyota did plenty of research before they produced their Super Bowl ads. So, what did they see about their customer base. Young dads who are active in their kids' lives? I bet that was the case.

Grandfathers: It would be fun if somebody did ads like that for us. What about Honda? Are you listening? Lots of baby-boomers driving Hondas.

October 17, 2014

My son Justin and I attended Promise Keepers in Las Vegas 11 years ago this weekend. He's standing in front of the venue for the event.

Promise Keepers (PK) is becoming a fuzzy memory for me. I attended my first PK event back in the mid-nineties in Indianapolis. At the time, it was an eye-opener for me to be in a stadium filled with guys for a Christian event to help them grow closer to Jesus Christ.

After that, my son Justin and I went to 10 more events, in various parts of the country. They were all filled with men looking for spiritual growth.

Eleven years ago this weekend, he and I went to PK in Las Vegas. It was a great father-son weekend where we were able to listen, talk and hear great teaching from God's word. It was an unlikely setting for a major Christian men's gathering.

This makes me wonder about PK and what effect it had on men. Did it make a difference in their lives and in their relationship to Jesus? The movement has pretty much fizzled out.

What about my grandsons? Will they ever have a chance to do that with their dads? Will they see that there are thousands and thousands of men around the country who believe in Jesus?

July 19, 2014

If the past month with our kids and grandkids is a hint of what heaven's going to be like then I think I'm going to like it there.

My daughter and her husband and their two kids have been at our house for a month plus. They live in Eastern Europe and are back in the United States for a few months. We've had a chance for some serious grandparenting time and have seen firsthand how much our daughter that I used to call "super-pumpkin" has grown as a full-fledged adult. Her husband is an amazing guy and one who I've forged a solid friendship with.

During this time, we all trekked down to St. Louis where our son and his wife live along with their newborn son. There were so many special times where just enjoyed being with each other, including a special "father-son and son-in-law" time at the Urban Chestnut Brewery in the city.

I know that family routines have been toppled a little, but the time together has been magical for me. I see more clearly than ever the importance of family and I see how much I have to thank God for.

I kind of feel like Zeke Braverman of the Parenthood television show who play the role of a patriarch in his family. My response is simple. As I would tell my four-year-old grandson, "super-cool, awesome, amazing." You get the idea.

July 05, 2014

During a visit from our daughter in her family, my son-in-law ran a half marathon. At the end, it turned into a special "father-son" moment

A half-marathon is a special event all by itself and my son-in-law Adam Jones made it even more special as he approached the finish line of the race. Our grandson has a special relationship with his dad and that stood out in bold relief as Adam scooped up his son about 50 yards in front of the finish line. He carried him across. The smiles from both father and son spoke tons about the moment.

June 28, 2014

Our grandson and granddaughter from Bosnia are learning the basics of a fun life, like throwing water balloons where they burst on contact. It's something that every kids needs to know. They are having fun. Next year, we are going to recruit our St. Louis grandson Miles who will be one year old.

June 25, 2014

I'm sure that my new grandson Miles and his dad will be like two peas in a pod.

I love getting his text messages during the day about life with his almost week-old son. My son Justin seems like he's a natural born father. His texts range from reporting that he changed 11 diapers the day before to he had a poop that could only be described as nuclear.

He and his wife Lauren are really excited about the new addition to their family that had consisted of them, a dog and a cat. Now, they have a son and Justin is loving every minute of it.

This excites me for a lot of reasons. One is that all this really shows the grace of God. Miles is really healthy and he was born a month early. But, more importantly, it demonstrates that coming from a background of poor fathering is not a predictor of the kind of dad a guy is going to be.

I had no father figure and I had no siblings and I can say that the best job of my life has been being a father. That is topped only by being a husband. The poor fathering cycle has been broken officially. This is proof. Thank-you God.

Gladys and I were just sitting down to a living room lunch yesterday where we watch a Netflix television show everyday while we eat. Then we got a call from our son Justin who said that his pre-born son Miles was soon to make his entrance into the world.

Knowing that we were fully mobile, he told us to pack a few things and hop in our car and head west to St. Louis and the hospital where Miles would be born. Within an hour or so we were in the car heading out to meet the newest member of our expanding family who was getting ready to make an appearance.

We got there about seven hours before he was born. As his arrival got closer, we checked into the birthing suite and gave a high five to our daughter-in-law Lauren who was getting prepared for the real hard part of the job. Then Grandma Thorp, Grandma Morris and I went to the waiting room just around the corner. We waited. We visited. We got the latest from Justin when he stepped out and we got his texts.

Then at 5:20 or so this morning, listening through the door, we heard the doctor say, "You've got a baby." And then came the passionate cries of our newborn grandson. His cries were loud and persistent.

After a bath and other things to get him ready for visitors, we were invited to step in to see him, the new mom and our son who witnessed one of life's greatest miracles, the birth of your own child.

The grandmas held him and then it was my turn. All I could think of was the great privilege of being part of a family. I told him about how much his mom and dad loved him and how he was a real winner. He pretended like he was sleeping.

I'm way over 10,000 Reasons to give thanks to God. Meeting Miles was one. There's his parents. There's his extended family.

Gladys and I started our family as two a day short of our 33rd anniversary. We are now nine. Praise God. My heart is still smiling.

June 16, 2014

"Baby Boy Thorp" will know he's loved and valued by his Dad--my son-- and by his Mom. He will have a positive male role model and will learn how to become a man.

I kind of lost track of Focus on the Family and it's organization. My wife and I listened to its radio program pretty faithfully when our kids were really young. We learned a lot about everything form the strong-willed child to how to discipline.

Dr. James Dobson retured and was replaced by Jim Daly who I had never heard much about. Then I clicked on this tweet about how it's never too late to become a great Dad. I've thought about that issue a lot over the years because of my birth father who deserted my Mom and me when I was a toddler. He never came back, never called, wrote or did anything to support us. He was a true "Scum bag Dad."

I found him when I was in my 20s. He had a whole different family, lived on the other side of the country and had lots of money. He totally rejected me. His parting words to me involved a threat to my life and then I left.

The question I often wondered about was whether he could have moved the daddy needle from being a scumbag to being a real dad. Can anybody else relate to this?

Jim Daly of Focus on the Family comes from a no-dad background. And in this intereview with Christianity Today, he talks about his experience in plain terms that I can relate to. He learned how to be a man and how to be a Dad by default. He had no male role models.

If this type of experience matches yours or that of somebody you know, this might be helpful. This is a multi-layered topic that reeks with emotion that most guys don't want to show.

June 15, 2014

Inside the invitation to my 50th high school class reunion this fall was an insert asking me to write a short piece about my last five decades of life since I left T. L. Handy High School in Bay City, Michigan. It's for a memory yearbook for each member of the class of 1964.

One of the items they want each class member to share is accomplishments and awards. They also asked everybody to talk about the jobs they've had. I've had a bunch since I left high school.

For me, there's only one answer. It's my family and my kids. Father's Day is a strong reminder of how I feel every other day of the year. It would take a big server with gigabytes of space to hold all the memories and there's unused space for more.

It started with my wife and me and then came my daughter and then my son. Then there was a son-in-law, a grandson, a daughter-in-law, a granddaughter and a pre-born grandson who is coming real soon.

I feel like Matt Redmond in his song 10,000 Reasons to thank and praise God. At this point, I can find way more than that number. I'm still counting. Thank-you God, bigtime.

Six month old Justin, Krista and my wife Gladys

This was from an e-card that I got this morning. This was taken in Vienna, Austria.

June 13, 2014

When I woke up this morning I clicked on this link to pictures of dads taken of them with their new baby. I scrolled through each one and I read what each one had to say about the moment. I know that Justin's getting excited to be a dad.

There's nothing like the anticipation of meeting and holding your new child. I was able to have that experience two times. Now it's his turn. I am excited for him and for his wife Lauren. Words can't describe how happy I am for them.

I'm still feeling my way around in my position as a grandfather. I never saw a job description. And I never knew my grandparents. I too can't wait to meet Baby Boy Thorp.

June 09, 2014

My son just sent me the link to this video done by Dove soap about special moments that dads have with their kids. This video really touches me. For anybody who enjoyed being a dad, this is worth watching. It speaks for itself. Pardon me while I get a tissue to wipe the tears away from my eyes. BTW, my son and his wife are pregnant with a boy. He's scheduled for arrival in July. I encourage you to share this video on your Facebook page.

May 21, 2014

This story is almost too hard to believe. Teenager has a dad who stole money from and old lady and the kid feels responsibility to make it right and he does. I hope this kid's dad learns something. This story touched me.

May 15, 2014

Casey Carey comments here about many NFL players who have a serious void in their life because they never saw their dads in the stands.

NFL players seem to have it all when it comes to looks, popularity, money, homes and other stuff. But many, according to Casey Carey of the National Center for Fathers says say they have one big void in their lives. During a game, he said, many looked up in the stands and never saw their dads. If they had, it would have changed their lives.

Does this really show the power that dads have with their kids? Does this resonate with any dads out there? Did you always see your dad in the stands?

Here's a clip of what he said during the Focus on the Family movie Irreplaceable.

April 15, 2014

How would you answer the question in the title to this post? What does your father mean to you?

This is a clip from an upcoming movie about families. Think about your answer. Be honest with yourself.

How many people are out there who are still struggling with their relationship with their father? How has it affected them in their daily life? If you father experience was negative, can you switch it around for your kids? Too late?

March 15, 2014

It's official that our new grandchild is going to be a boy. Our son Justin and his wife are keeping their name choices under wraps, but have chosen his working name while we all wait for him to be born in July. It's Dwight or "Ike."

I've been thinking a lot about this new addition to our family and what he needs to ask his dad as he grows and gets to know his very special parents. For his dad, "Ike" needs to ask:

If he was the one to cut his umbilical cord. It's a perfect chance for Justin to whip out his latest device to look up the job of the cord during pregnancy and then to describe what it was like to make that big cut. By the way, he needs to know that I cut my son's umbilical cord.

If Justin is Mac or PC. It's a foundational question. I would imagine that "Ike" will become familiar with his first keyboard at a very early age, one or two years old. My new grandson needs to know the stories behind my family's connection to Apple and their various devices.

If the best cup of coffee comes from a French press or a pour over. Justin has a history with coffee and the various kinds of drinks that can be made with it. Don't forget to ask about cappucino. There's a great story there too.

If he had a good time with his dog Adam, his stuffed pet that was a constant companion. I can't forget the turtles, the Ninja Turtles which he still has.

"Ike" is a lucky guy to have a great mom and dad. They are both very special. Of course, I know his dad the best and I'm getting to know his mom.

This kid is already a winner, a champion and I'm anxious to see the role that God has carved out for him.

March 14, 2014

My son Justin was still in grade school when he and I met Ken Canfield who was then the head of the National Center for Fathering. We were at the Promise Keepers event at Soldier Field in Chicago and we stopped by the booth where Ken was signing copies of his book The Heart Of A Father.

Now my son and his wife are pregnant with their first child which is due in July and I ran into this blog post from the present head of the father center, Casey Carey.

The post outlines seven things that dads should do with their kids. The advice, in my opinion is golden. It's money in the bank for your kid and how he develops and grows.

It's stuff that will make a difference and will be a world-changer for his child, regardless of whether he has a son or daughter.

Justin, print this out. Share it with your buddies who are going to have children soon.

I want you to know that I pray for you, Lauren and your child, whether it's Stella or Ike everyday.

January 19, 2014

There are certain things keeping super-wife and me from being really contented. I see one of them everytime I look out our living room window this morning and see the deep Michigan gray and when I think of round two of the polar vortex coming tonight which will bring single-digit temps.

Sometime during the day today one of us will talk about how nice it would be to live in Florida where on the coldest day a light jacket would be sufficient. And if your local utility has a power outage, your main concern is about humidity. Life would be so much more comfortable, we like to think.

Those kinds of thoughts that seem to permeate lots of life areas are the topic of a series of sermons at our church by Jeff Manion, our pastor. Today is lesson one and there will be homework and projects.